On November 11, 1966, he joined James A. Lovell, Jr., on the four-day Gemini 12 flight. Together, Aldrin’s three walks in space totalled a record 5 1/2hours, proving that human beings can function effectively in the vacuum of space.

Astronaut Edwin (“Buzz”) Aldrin, Jr., pilot of the Gemini 12 spacecraft, performing an extravehicular activity (EVA) on Nov. 12, 1966, the second day of the four-day mission in space. Aldrin is positioned next to the Agena workstation.NASA Great Images in Nasa Collection

Apollo 11, crewed by Aldrin, Neil A. Armstrong, and Michael Collins, was launched to the Moon on July 16, 1969. Four days later Armstrong and Aldrin landed near the edge of Mare Tranquillitatis. After spending about two hours gathering rock samples, taking photographs, and setting up scientific equipment for tests, they concluded their lunar surface excursion. Armstrong and Aldrin later piloted the lunar module Eagle to a successful rendezvous with Collins and the command module in lunar orbit. The mission ended on July 24 with splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin, photographed July 20, 1969, during the first manned mission to the Moon's surface. Reflected in Aldrin's faceplate is the Lunar Module and astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took the picture.NASA

Aldrin, Edwin (“Buzz”)Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin setting up the Passive Seismic Experiments Package (PSEP) on the Moon, with the Lunar Module in the background. The PSEP was designed to detect seismic vibrations on the Moon's surface.NASA

Aldrin wrote two autobiographies, Return to Earth (1973), which told the story of his experience with depression following the Apollo 11 mission, and Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon (2009, with Ken Abraham). He also wrote a history of the Apollo program, Men from Earth (1989, with Malcolm McConnell); two children’s books, Reaching for the Moon (2005) and Look to the Stars (2009); and two forward-looking works, Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration (2013) and No Dream Is Too High: Life Lessons from a Man Who Walked on the Moon (2016).

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